Protests, riot continue in Paris over police brutality case

World Today

French police officers are seen through a broken window in Bobigny outside Paris, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017. A demonstration protesting the alleged rape of a black youth by police has degenerated, with small groups setting at least one vehicle afire and throwing projectiles at police. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Protests, riot continue in Paris over police brutality case

A video showing a young black man named Theo being arrested by police officers has sparked a wave of protests on the outskirts of Paris recently. CGTN’s Kate Parkinson reports.

The man alleged that he was anally raped with a police truncheon. The injury sent him to a hospital and required major surgery.

This weekend around 2,000 people demonstrated outside a courthouse to demand justice for Theo.

The protest started peacefully but quickly descended into violent clashes. One officer involved in the original incident has been charged with rape, three others with aggravated assault.

Amal Bentounsi who runs an organization opposing police violence says many people, still don’t believe justice will be done.

“Very few cases, very few police officers have been convicted in the past 30 years. Today we live in two parallel worlds. There are people that are not touched by this violence and there are people that are facing it every day in the suburbs. We are in a state where we have no rights anymore. We are not in a country of human rights anymore. We are in a police state,” Amal Bentounsi of Activist Against Police Violence said.

There have been various attempts at police reforms in recent years but French politicians have failed to improve the relationship between police and young people, or tackle the issues of racism and discrimination on the country’s housing estates.

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